Chapter 132
“I, I’ll do it myself.”
Xiao Xiao took the ointment, his voice small as he repeated, “I’ll do it myself.”
There was no way he was going to let a strange alpha apply medicine for him. He just never imagined a small motel could be this dirty. He’d only been here for one night—no, not even a full night—and he was already covered in so many welts. This was the first time he’d ever encountered bugs like these. Even when he was poorer and couldn’t afford better places, he always kept things clean and had never run into this problem.
He went into the bathroom, took off his clothes, and showered first before applying the ointment. He worked quickly, and in no time, he had covered every spot he could reach.
Except, he couldn’t get his back.
Xiao Xiao froze. Just then, he heard Li Jie ask from outside the door, “All done? You sure you don’t need help? Looks like you’ve got a lot on your back. Can you reach?”
Xiao Xiao felt like just leaving it. He put the ointment down and started to get dressed. But the moment he pulled on his shirt, his back erupted in a fresh wave of itching. His expression changed instantly.
He took the shirt off again. Finally, he opened the door and, looking at Li Jie’s smiling face, slowly held out the tube of ointment. “Then… could I trouble Li-ge to help me with my back?”
“Sure.”
Li Jie took the tube, squeezed some onto his hand, then placed a hand on Xiao Xiao’s shoulder and began to rub the ointment onto his back. Xiao Xiao gritted his teeth and frowned, enduring the discomfort of a strange alpha’s touch.
But Li Jie was stunned.
In all his years, it wasn’t like he’d never met an omega or beta who was into him. But he’d turned them all down. Because those flashy little vixens were all after his money, constantly asking him to buy them this and that. He couldn’t stand it.
When he was a kid, he barely had enough allowance to buy toys for himself, so buying snacks for those demanding little things was completely out of the question. And when he grew up, those vixens were even more outrageous, asking for bags, phones, limited-edition sneakers—whatever was expensive, they wanted.
But they were making those ridiculous demands before they’d even been marked or slept together. How could Li Jie possibly accept that? He had to break up with them. Because he knew if they ever did sleep together or get marked, their demands would only get more ridiculous.
Break up. It had to be a breakup, on the spot.
No matter how heartbroken those vixens were, he’d walk away without a second glance. So, strictly speaking, at nearly thirty years old, he was still a virgin.
This was the first time he had ever touched a beta’s back, and this little beta wasn’t one of those vixens trying to spend his money.
The feel of it… was incredible. It was nothing like his own firm physique. He really liked this smooth, tender texture.
As Li Jie applied the ointment, things started to feel wrong. His movements slowed, his hand gradually wandering over Xiao Xiao’s back.
Xiao Xiao clearly sensed the shift. He held back his fear, his face pale as he asked, “Li-ge, are you done?”
That snapped Li Jie back to reality. He swallowed hard and said, “Almost, almost done.”
Even though the touch was amazing, this little beta had just been forced by someone else. He couldn’t hurt him again. So, he forced himself to hold back, pulling his hand away from Xiao Xiao’s back. He draped the shirt over him and said with a smile, “All done. Go get some sleep.”
With that, he practically shoved Xiao Xiao out of the bathroom and went in himself. Xiao Xiao stared curiously at the bathroom door. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of running water.
Li Jie was taking a shower.
Why was Li Jie showering at a time like this?
Xiao Xiao was baffled. He dazedly buttoned his shirt and turned to go back to the bed, but the thought of the bugs made it impossible for him to lie down. So, no matter what, he wasn’t sleeping in that bed tonight.
Xiao Xiao just stood beside it.
Half an hour later, Li Jie was still in the shower.
It suddenly dawned on Xiao Xiao what was happening. He pressed his lips together, unsure of what to do. Before, he could have easily joked about it, but now he no longer dared to believe in so-called feelings.
Love? What was love?
Especially from an alpha. They were the most terrifying. Besides, he and Li Jie hadn’t known each other for long; there was no emotional foundation between them. So, Li Jie’s interest in him was likely just lust, not real feelings.
But Li Jie was the person An Le had asked Lu Heng to find. Lu Heng was a big deal, so he should be safe.
Xiao Xiao comforted himself with this thought and went to sit on the floor by the door. The motel room was tiny. It was less than two meters from the door to the two single beds, and a little further in was the toilet and bathroom. There was no sofa, no chairs. There was nowhere to sit but the beds.
Since Xiao Xiao didn’t want to sit on the bed, he could only sit on the floor.
Another ten minutes passed before Li Jie finally came out of the bathroom. Seeing Xiao Xiao sitting on the floor by the door, he asked curiously, “What are you doing over there?”
Xiao Xiao glanced at the bed and said in a small voice, “There are bugs. They bite.”
Li Jie was stunned. “Didn’t you put on the ointment? They won’t bite you after you’ve used it.”
Xiao Xiao shook his head. “But I… I don’t want to sleep with bugs.”
Li Jie was speechless.
Li Jie was a proper bodyguard, even holding the title of “Gold Medal Bodyguard.” He had gone through professional training, selection, and internships before finally making a name for himself in the bodyguard world. He’d endured plenty of hardships, many of them in conditions far worse than this.
It was only after being hired by Lu Heng for a high salary that his life stabilized. He earned a steady income doing a job that was easier than being a bodyguard, with frequent opportunities for bonuses on top of his base pay. Though it didn’t pay as much as his previous high-risk bodyguard jobs, those required putting his life on the line. Working for Lu Heng didn’t.
Otherwise, what good was money if he couldn’t enjoy it? So, after weighing his options, he had chosen Lu Heng.
But his past training was ingrained in him. Even though he wasn’t on those kinds of missions anymore, he still maintained his old alertness and habits. So, a motel like this was perfectly fine for him, even with a few unknown biting bugs.
He just never thought Xiao Xiao couldn’t handle it.
If he remembered correctly, Xiao Xiao came from a poor background. He wasn’t a delicate omega, nor was he some rich, arrogant alpha. Why couldn’t he adapt?
Li Jie couldn’t figure it out, but even so, he felt it wasn’t right to let a physically and mentally wounded little beta sit on the floor. But at this hour, it was impossible to go out and change rooms. Besides, if this room had bugs, there was no guarantee the others didn’t.
So, Li Jie said casually, “Then you can sleep on my bed. My bed doesn’t have bugs.”
He even lifted his shirt to show Xiao Xiao. “See? Not a single red spot.”
Xiao Xiao looked at Li Jie’s firm, handsome abs, still glistening with water droplets. It was true, there were no red spots. He thought for a moment before asking, “Then where will you sleep?”
Li Jie smiled, walked over to Xiao Xiao’s bed, and lay down. “I’ll just sleep here. I’m thick-skinned, not afraid of a few bug bites.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t say anything. After a moment of hesitation, he was finally overcome by exhaustion and sleepiness and climbed onto Li Jie’s bed.
He slept all the way until the next morning. It was true, no bugs bit him, and most of the red spots on his body had faded. It wasn’t as itchy as before, either.
Xiao Xiao sat on the bed. Li Jie came in from outside, holding a few steamed buns. “You’re awake. Have some breakfast.”
Xiao Xiao nodded, taking the buns and eating them slowly while still sitting on the bed. After he finished, he realized Li Jie didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.
He called out softly, “Li-ge.”
Li Jie: “What’s up?”
Xiao Xiao: “Where… are we going next?”
Li Jie saved him, and then what? What were they supposed to do now?
Li Jie deliberately frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “You won’t let me tell the boss’s wife, and you have nowhere else to go, so you’ll just have to stick with me.”
Lu Heng had told him to pretend to be Xiao Xiao’s suitor and rescue him in order to clear Lu Heng and An Le of any suspicion. So, he couldn’t take Xiao Xiao to An Le, nor could he just leave him. If he left Xiao Xiao and Gu Qian found him, the story about him being a suitor wouldn’t hold up.
But even though this trip was a bit troublesome and took some time, the pay was high. Li Jie was very satisfied with this job, so he was more than happy to accompany Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment. Li Jie was right. He didn’t want to find An Le, he had nowhere else to go, and he was constantly at risk of being found by Gu Qian. He really could only stick with Li Jie.
But, he and Li Jie were practically strangers. Now that he’d found him, Li Jie had basically completed the task An Le gave him. Would he continue to stay with him?
Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and then asked, “Then you… how long will you help me for?”
He had wanted to ask if Li Jie would help him indefinitely, but given their relationship, it wasn’t an appropriate question. Besides, setting An Le aside, Li Jie had no obligation to help him. He couldn’t put that kind of burden on someone.
Li Jie knew what Xiao Xiao was worried about and said with a smile, “I’ll help you until the boss says the job is done.”
Xiao Xiao paused, looking at Li Jie with curiosity.
Li Jie sat on the edge of the bed, took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a drag before saying, “Did you really think escaping from Gu Qian was that simple?”
“Did you think you’d be safe just because you got away?”
Xiao Xiao subconsciously shook his head.
Li Jie nodded in agreement. “Right. It’s not that simple, and you’re not safe. So I have to protect you, and I have to create another reason for rescuing you, so Gu Qian doesn’t suspect the boss put me up to it. Otherwise, he’ll go crazy and attack the boss.”
“The boss and the boss’s wife are at a critical point right now. We have to keep Gu Qian from causing trouble. Once the boss has settled his wife’s family matters, my mission will be complete.”
Xiao Xiao was a bit dazed. So, Li Jie was helping him now because of An Le and Lu Heng. The thought of An Le made him sad, but there was no turning back. He couldn’t change what had happened.
Xiao Xiao didn’t ask what reason Li Jie would use to throw Gu Qian off Lu Heng and An Le’s trail. He just felt a little more at ease. He understood the situation now. He just had to wait. Wait until An Le and Lu Heng sorted out their issues with Gu Chen, until they no longer had to fear Gu Qian’s insane interference.
Only then would Li Jie’s mission be complete, and he would go back.
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